Block plank and method for the production thereof

ABSTRACT

A block plank for building wooden walls, formed of a plurality of block planks ( 6, 7 ) located horizontally one above the other, of houses and other buildings is proposed which on its lower bearing face ( 8 ) has a wedge-shaped longitudinal slit ( 3 ) that tapers toward the heart ( 2 ) of the block plank ( 6, 7 ). The method of the invention for producing such block planks ( 6, 7 ) with a low wood moisture provides that the logs ( 1 ) used, before the drying operation, are provided with at least one longitudinal slit ( 3 ) extending as far as the heart ( 2 ) of the respective log ( 1 ); that the logs ( 1 ) are then dried in a drying chamber to a moisture content of less than 15%, preferably to a moisture content of 11%; and that the logs ( 1 ) are then sawn to the desired size of block plank.

[0001] The invention relates to a block plank for building wooden walls,as generically defined by the preamble to claim 1, and to a method forproducing it.

[0002] For building wooden houses and other buildings, block planks areused, which can have an essentially rectangular cross section, or arounded cross section, with flat faces. In walls constructed of blockplanks, one problem is that the walls settle from shrinkage, and warpingcan also occur in the wood. This can make the wooden walls constructedwith conventional block planks leaky.

[0003] The object of the invention is to create a block plank forbuilding wooden walls that even after a relatively long time maintainshigh dimensional accuracy.

[0004] This object is attained by the characteristics recited in claim1. The block plank of the invention, at least on its lower bearing face,has a wedge-shaped longitudinal slit that narrows toward the heart ofthe log. An elastic insulating material with which the block planks,stacked one above the other to make a wall, rest sealingly on oneanother can be inserted into this longitudinal slit.

[0005] The wedge shape of the longitudinal slit is created on the onehand during the drying operation, since the log, previously slitlongitudinally, contracts in such a way that a longitudinal slitinitially made in straight form widens into a V. If before the dryingoperation, other longitudinal notches are provided in the region of thelater top side of the block plank, then it is especially advantageous toposition them in such a way that they are located in the region oftongue-and-groove joints that are embodied between the bearing faces ofthe block planks. A refinement of the invention provides thatlongitudinal notches are located in the ribs embodied on the top side ofthe block planks, and precisely these ribs are part of theaforementioned tongue-and-groove joints. Because the additionallongitudinal notches are located in the ribs at the top, the propertiesof the finished wooden wall are practically unimpaired.

[0006] The longitudinal slit extended to the heart of the log and theother longitudinal notches at the top have the great advantage thatuncontrolled development of cracks in the later drying operation isavoided. The logs sawn to size after the drying operation result inblock planks with side faces that are free of cracks, and as a result,suitably high-quality block plank walls can be constructed.

[0007] The object of the invention is also to create a method forproducing the highest possible quality block planks for constructingwooden walls.

[0008] This object is attained with the characteristics of claim 7. Thelogs used can, with or without the bark, be dried, preferably in avacuum drying operation, to a wood moisture of 11%, for example, and thelongitudinal cuts made beforehand prevent uncontrolled cracking of thelogs that would otherwise occur. After the drying operation, the logscan be cut to the finished size of the block planks, and thelongitudinal cut extended to the heart of the log can also be milled outto a predetermined size. In this way, block planks are obtained whichhave high dimensional accuracy and with which sealing problems can bereliably avoided. Optimal sealing off of the finished block plank wallis obtained by means of the insulating materials placed in the V-shapedlongitudinal cut, and ecologically unobjectionable insulating materialscan be used.

[0009] The invention will be described in further detail below in termsof an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing.

[0010] Shown are:

[0011]FIG. 1, a log with a longitudinal cut, made all the way to theheart, before drying;

[0012]FIG. 2, the log of FIG. 1 after drying;

[0013]FIG. 3, a plurality of logs stacked for drying;

[0014]FIG. 4, block planks cut to their final size, as part of a blockplank wall;

[0015]FIG. 5, a block plank wall seen from above in the region of oneface end;

[0016]FIG. 6, a log sawn to size as a model, before drying;

[0017]FIG. 7, seams, sealed off with adjusting tongues, of block plankslocated one above the other;

[0018]FIG. 8, a perspective view, and FIG. 9, a plan view of a cornerhalving of a block plank house.

[0019] In FIG. 2, the end view is shown of a log 1 that has alongitudinal slit 3 made all the way to the heart 2. If this log isdried to less than 15% wood moisture, for instance, the wood shrinks insuch a way that the cross section, or the end view as shown in FIG. 2,changes. The longitudinal slit 3 narrows in wedgelike fashion toward theheart 2, so that it can now be said to be a V-shaped longitudinal slit3.

[0020] To make it possible for a plurality of logs to be stacked oneabove another in a vacuum drying chamber in a space-saving way, the logs1 are flattened, as shown in FIG. 3, on their lower bearing face, wherethe longitudinal slit 3 is located. The logs 1 shown in FIG. 3 areadditionally provided with longitudinal notches 4, 5 in the upperregion, in order to assure that in the drying operation, uncontrolledcracking will not occur in the log.

[0021] In FIG. 3 and in FIG. 4, unlike FIGS. 1 and 2, the annual ringsare not shown, for the sake of simplicity.

[0022] After the drying operation, the logs 1 of FIG. 3 are cut to thefinished block plank size, for instance to block planks of the kindshown in part in FIG. 4. The block planks 6, 7 have an essentiallysquare cross section, and on their lower bearing face 8 and on their topfaces 9, they are provided with longitudinal grooves 10 and withparallel-extending ribs 11 corresponding to the longitudinal grooves. Onthe adjoining sides of the two block planks 7, 8, the longitudinalgrooves 10 and ribs 11 form tongue-and-groove joints 12.

[0023] As can also be seen in FIG. 4, the longitudinal slit 3, after thedrying operation, has widened to a V shape, as shown in FIG. 2. TheV-shaped longitudinal slits 3 are milled out to a uniform size in theblock planks 6, 7, so that insulating material 13 can be inserteduniformly in each of the longitudinal slits 3.

[0024] The longitudinal slits 3 can also be milled out to some othercross-sectional shape, not shown here. That cross section can forinstance be rectangular or in the form of a half oval.

[0025] It can be seen from the lower block plank 6 that the insulatingmaterial 13, in the unstressed state, protrudes slightly past the lowerbearing face 8, while it is elastically compressed from the top side ofthe block plank 6 between the tongue-and-groove joints 12, thus assuringsecure sealing between the two block planks 6, 7.

[0026] The longitudinal notches 4, 5 provided in FIG. 3 are positioned,in the finished block planks 6, 7, in the region of the ribs 11. Inprinciple, still other longitudinal slits or longitudinal notches couldbe made on the top side 9 and on the lower bearing face 8, should thatbe expedient because of the nature of the wood or other requirements.

[0027] In FIG. 5, the end covering 14 of a block plank wall 15 can beseen. The covering 14 comprises 2 glued-together solid planks 16, 17,shown shaded in the drawing, which are joined to the block planks 6, 7with screw or nail fastenings 18, 19. The face ends 20 of the blockplanks 6, 7 are notched in a wedge shape. In the free space between thecovering 14 and the face end 20, there is a threaded rod 21, with whichthe block planks are braced. The wall thickness in the exemplaryembodiment is 36 cm.

[0028]FIG. 6 shows the preferred form of a log intended for drying,because such models are optimally stackable.

[0029] The block planks 6, 7 used in FIG. 7, on the top side 9 facingaway from the lower bearing face 8, have longitudinal grooves 21,extending parallel to and spaced apart from one another, whichcorrespond to longitudinal grooves 10 embodied on the lower bearing face8. Highly predried adjusting tongues 22 of wood are inserted into eachtwo longitudinal grooves located directly one above the other, so thatbetween block planks 6, 7 located one above the other, press fits arecreated at the adjusting tongues 22 as the moisture increases. Beforeinsertion into the longitudinal grooves, the adjusting tongues 22 have adegree of drying of preferably less than 10% moisture.

[0030] For the corner halving, shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, of outside wallsof a block plank house, a tightening tongue 23 vertically penetratingthe block plank is inserted into the block planks in the region of thecorner halving, transversely to the longitudinal direction of the blockplank. From its outward-pointing face end 25, the block plank has aspline 24, which is oriented toward the tightening tongue 23 and intowhich a wedge 26 that can be driven farther in is inserted at the faceend of the plank. When shrinkage occurs, the wedge can be driven fartherin, and the corner halving can be further tightened and made windproof.For reasons of appearance, the wedge 26 can be covered by a removablecover plate.

[0031] The block planks for the corner halving of outside walls of ablock plank house can each have a vertical, spreadable longitudinalslit, preferably embodied as a spline 24, extending from theiroutward-pointing face end to beyond the region of the corner halving.What is important is the possibility of driving the block planks apartin order to compensate for the attendant shrinkage, and driving theblock planks to the size sawn out in the region of the corner halvingand to seal them off from one another.

1. A block plank for building wooden walls, formed of a plurality ofblock planks (6, 7) located horizontally one above the other, of housesand other buildings, characterized in that the block plank (6, 7), onits lower bearing face (8), has a wedge-shaped longitudinal slit (3)that tapers toward the heart (2) of the block plank (6, 7).
 2. The blockplank of claim 1, characterized in that an elastically compressibleinsulating material (13) is inserted into the longitudinal slit (3) andprotrudes slightly from the lower bearing face (8) of the block plank(6).
 3. The block plank of one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in thatribs (11) extending parallel to and spaced apart from one another areembodied on the top side (9) of the block plank (6, 7), facing away fromthe lower bearing face (8), and these ribs correspond with longitudinalgrooves (10) embodied on the lower bearing face (8), so that atongue-and-groove joint (12) is created between block planks (6, 7)located one above the other.
 4. The block plank of one of the foregoingclaims, characterized in that longitudinal notches (4, 5) are embodiedon the top side (9) facing away from the bearing face (8).
 5. The blockplank of claim 4, characterized in that longitudinal notches (4, 5) arelocated in the ribs (11) embodied on the top side (9).
 6. The blockplank of one of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the freeface ends (20) of a plurality of block planks located one above theother in a block plank wall (15) are notched preferably in wedge-shapedfashion and are covered by means of a shape-adapted covering (14). 7.The block plank of claim 1, characterized in that longitudinal grooves(21) extending parallel to and spaced apart from one another areembodied on the top side (9), facing away from the lower bearing face(8), of the block plank (6, 7), and they correspond with longitudinalgrooves (10) embodied on the lower bearing face (8); and that in eachtwo longitudinal grooves located directly one above the other, a highlypredried adjusting tongue (22) is located, so that press fits arecreated at the adjusting tongues (22) between block planks (6, 7)located one above the other.
 8. The block plank of claim 7,characterized in that the adjusting tongues (22), before insertion intothe longitudinal grooves, have a degree of dryness of less than 10%moisture, and preferably 8% moisture.
 9. The block plank of one of theforegoing claims, for the corner halving of outside walls of a blockplank house, characterized in that the block planks, from theiroutward-pointing face end to beyond the region of the corner halving,each have one vertical, spreadable longitudinal slit.
 10. The blockplank of claim 9, characterized in that into each of the block planks inthe region of the corner halving, a respective tightening tonguevertically penetrating the block plank is inserted, transversely to thelongitudinal direction of the block plank.
 11. The block plank of one ofclaims 9 or 10, characterized in that the block plank, from itsoutward-pointing face end, has, as a longitudinal slit, a spline alignedwith the tightening tongue, into which spline a wedge that can be drivenfarther in is inserted on the face end of the plank.
 12. A method forproducing block planks (6, 7) with low wood moisture for building woodenwalls, of one of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the logs(1) used are provided, before the drying operation, with at least onelongitudinal slit (3) extending as far as the heart (2) of therespective log (1); that the logs (1) are then dried in a drying chamberto a moisture content of less than 15%, preferably to a moisture contentof 11%; and that the logs (1) are then sawn to the desired size of blockplank.
 13. The method of claim 12, characterized in that before thedrying operation, the logs (1) are flattened over their entire length onthe side where the longitudinal slit (3) is made.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, characterized in that further symmetrically disposedlongitudinal notches (4, 5) are made, offset by more than 90° relativeto the longitudinal slit (3) extending to the heart (2).
 15. The methodof one of claims 12-14, characterized in that after the dryingoperation, the longitudinal slit (3) is milled out to a predeterminedfinal size.